With the American Society of Cinematographers’ announcement Wednesday morning of its nominees, the Oscar picture comes into sharper focus.

Glaring is the omission of “War Horse.” Janusz Kaminski’s absence from the list is the second blow in as many days to Steven Spielberg’s chances of a Kodak Theatre moment. Earlier this week, the Directors Guild appeared to opt for David Fincher and his “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.” Now the ASC has followed suit, naming Fincher’s shooter, Jeff Cronenweth, among its noms.

To a man (and they are all men), the five nominees have crafted handsome, evocative films. So the question might be: How much does the cinematographer’s vision aid his movie’s chances of being named the best come Oscar night? In that regard, Guillaume Schiffman appears to add more ballast to the on-again, off-again. front-runner status of the sumptuous, b&w silent “The Artist.”

Martin Scorsese collaborator Robert Richardson gave “Hugo” fluid and vivid energy and, with the aid of editor Thelma Schoonmaker, honored another filmmaker’s vision within his own. Hoyte van Hoytema’s deceptively muted, utterly methodical work on “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” makes the return to John le Carré’s Cold War thriller gripping even as it looks retro.

Evenso, for Mad Moviegoer the question remains: Has anyone made a lovelier film than director Terrence Malick and his ace Emmanuel Lubezki’s “The Tree of Life”?

Lisa Kennedy has been The Denver Post film critic for quite a spell. The job returned her to the town she grew up in after 20 years of living elsewhere: mostly in New York City. During the time she's been back, she was voted into the National Society of Film Critics, a first for a Colorado reviewer. When she began Diary of a Mad Moviegoer, she wasn't just cribbing from Tyler Perry. In fact, she seldom goes all Madea on movies, thinking the gig is more like a conversation than a competition about who's right about which flick.